The sun is shining but it's finally fall...no colors yet, but the temps dipped into the 40s for the first time. Supposed to go into the high 60s. I like the crisp weather but don't like what comes after...

Shop for burrito fixin's and "spiritual snacks"! (I love the fruit dip suggestion. Thanks S.E.A.) Sweep the porch hang up laundry. Charge my equipment and get paperwork ready for various projects. I woke up cold for the first time in about 8 months. Yay fall is finally here. Will change sheets and put first blanket on the bed in a long time. I'm out the door. Everyone have a great day.

Today's church service was awesome! The theme was based on St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals. Service was held outdoors to accommodate the animals, and people brought their pets in for blessings.

"There's so much trouble in this world; surrounded by miracles" - Citizen Cope

I wish I knew how to upload photos of the beautiful surf and turf we are having for dinner, along with the sliced Roma tomatoes drizzled with EVOO, herbs, salt/pepper and shaved parm. Mmmmm. I just can't believe that they had the filet steaks that cheap, and they were nice, beautiful pieces of meat. I froze most of them in a marinade.

Oh wow yummy yum!!!! I cooked the steaks in a cast iron skillet in the oven on broil, as I have been doing with steaks for quite awhile now. It's easy to get a nice sear on the meat with this method. I love my husband dearly, but he is not great with the grill and usually will overcook a steak, no matter how thick I buy them. Sigh. My dad was a master on the grill and always cooked them perfectly. Hubby has many fine qualities, but grilling is not one of them

Pumpkin puree: You know, the canned orange stuff that's lining the supermarket walls right now? The stuff you use to make all your favorite fall desserts that's labeled "100% pumpkin"?! Yes, well, it's actually made from 100% not pumpkin. The mix is made from a variety of winter squash (think butternut, Golden Delicious, Hubbard, and more). Libby's, the brand that produces about 85% of the country's canned "pumpkin" filling, has actually developed a certain variety of squash that they grow, package, and distribute to supermarkets across the country--all the while fooling innocent, trusting consumers into believing they're eating a pumpkin.

As it turns out, pumpkins can be fairly stringy and watery; certain varieties of winter squash make a richer, sweeter puree that works way better for packing the now-ambiguous flavor we all love into our favorite fall dishes. Additionally, the USDA is fairly lenient with gourd terminology in general, which is why it's perfectly legal to label a food product as "pumpkin" when, in reality, it's made from a different variety of squash. So it's all good now that there's an explanation, right? NO. It's not.

Me: I never have liked those sweet fall squashes like acorn and spaghetti squash (I like yellow summer squash and zucchini because they aren't sweet). Maybe this explains why I don't like pumpkin pie. So I wonder if I actually scooped out the inside of a pumpkin and made my own pie if I would like pumpkin afterall? I do like roasted pumpkin seeds...

I have grown plenty of pumpkins, and have made pies with them. Admittedly that was some years ago but if you ask me the squash substitute tastes just fine. If you disagree, grow some pumpkins, clean them out, roast the seeds and cook the pumpkin, and then tell me what you think. Because stringy is an understatement. And the hours of work involved are not worth it.
Me, I'll let Sara Lee cook my pumpkin pies.

Climbed out a bedroom window onto the roof of the front porch to clean out the gutters. Filled half of a 3-gallon bucket with leaves from the neighbor’s honey locust tree. I’ll have to repeat the job a couple of times before the season is over.

Finally, took the time to get my high-octane flu shot. If you are 65 or over, be sure to ask for the "high dose" version. The regular one does not provide the same level of protection for us as it can for younger folks. Both are free at CVS and a lot of other places.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

The first and only time I got a flu shot from my Dr., I ended up with the flu...seems I'm allergic to something in the shot. Haven't had one for 5 years nd never got the flu, so, thanks, but no thanks. Everyone is different.

I have never had a flu shot. I did get my Tdap shot for pertussis, diptheria, and tetanus, but that is mostly because my oldest stepdaughter is expecting a baby and it's very dangerous for babies if adults kiss or hug them and they transmit pertussis to the infant (whooping cough in children). And I got the 3-in-1 shot because I hadn't had a tetanus shot in 30 years, who knows when I might step on a rusty nail? And I don't know if I ever had a diptheria shot. Probably when I was a kid because as an Air Force brat we were out of the country a few times.

When I buy canned pumpkin, the ingredient on the label says "100% pumpkin". How can that be legal if what is inside is squash? I would think that if it says 100% pumpkin, then that's what it is. But who knows???

"Additionally, the USDA is fairly lenient with gourd terminology in general, which is why it's perfectly legal to label a food product as "pumpkin" when, in reality, it's made from a different variety of squash."

So I am guessing that pumpkin is a squash. I know it LOOKS like a gourd (squash). It makes me wonder if zucchini and summer squash are really even squash, then, since they don't taste the same and don't have that practically impenetrable exterior.

There are so many things about foods that confuse me, like that peanuts are not nuts, they are legumes, and almonds are not nuts, they are actually seeds from a tree. Tomatoes are fruit, etc.

I made a chili using some tomatoes from my garden; they are almost done for the season and it makes me sad. I used red kidneys, light red kidneys, and garbanzo beans in it, along with some filet mignon scraps from those steaks that I trimmed and froze yesterday. My cousin in Phoenix gave me some Mexican chili spice on my last visit that I used. It's starting to taste really, really, really good. I started it yesterday in the crockpot cooking the tomatoes down and added the rest of the ingredients last night, should be ready to eat tomorrow.